


Wayne Forest

by antiheronea



Category: Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, DC Cinematic Universe, Justice League (2017), Man of Steel (2013)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mythology, Curses, Folklore, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Mythology - Freeform, Slow Burn, True Love, Werewolves
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2017-12-15
Packaged: 2018-08-08 12:55:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 17,707
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7758637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/antiheronea/pseuds/antiheronea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a dark, mysterious forest in Gotham City it is believed to live a dangerous beast: a werewolf. Clark Kent, a young journalist from Metropolis, is assigned to go to Gotham and find out the truth. Does the werewolf truly exists or is it just another myth?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey you, thank you for clicking on my fic~ 
> 
> There are few things I wanna say before you hopefully start reading the fic:
> 
> First of all, I'm really rusty with writing since I haven't written in over a year so I'm just trying to find back my skills. XD Plus this my second longer fic so there is some learning for me with it. But I seriously wouldn't have survived without my friend, Sophie, who read the first chapter through and pointed out my stupid ass mistakes. XD You're the best. ❤ Seriously editing this was HELL. DXD  
> And second of all, this is my first ever Superbat fic, so don't kill me if the characters are out of character, but well this is an AU so I have some rights to bend the rules, lol.
> 
> I have already written down the main plot of the fic and sectioned it and now it seems like that there will be 10 chapters, but I never should say anything for sure since I always end up doing it differently.. XD but 10 chapters are where I'm heading!  
> I also rated the fic "only" with M since yes, there will be sex (I'm suffering through the writing of it for you Sophie!), but since writing sex is awkward af for me, it probably won't be too descriptive, but there is a chance that I might raise it up to E if I'm feeling like I need to challenge myself, lol.  
> And I also will most likely add more tags and I might change the title, because it's hard for me to think of titles and tags or stuff like that before I have finished the fic.. XD
> 
> Well I will shut up now and let you get to reading, I hope you enjoy the first chapter! ❤

Clark sipped on his morning coffee as he was finishing up his latest article about the legendary merman of Amnesty Bay. He worked as a writer for a magazine about history and culture, he wrote articles about local legends around the country. His boss, Perry White, had assigned him to travel to Maine to find out if the merman was real or if one old, drunken man had just seen a big fish on the shore of the small village. Clark had packed his bags and left Metropolis to seek out the truth and almost three weeks later, he was almost ready to hand out the story to his boss to be checked. He was really proud of this particular article since he had made a friend through it. And yes, his new friend was the legendary merman.

The merman's name was Arthur Curry and he worked as a fisherman in Amnesty Bay which suited him since he could control the waters and communicate with the sea life. Arthur was an introverted man who liked to live in peace in his small houseboat. He only went into the village to sell the fish which he had caught that morning and that is how Clark had found him. Of course he had asked around the village for clues for days before seeing Arthur for the first time, but as always, everyone had their own stories which led to nowhere. But in the end, his eyes had went to the mysterious, dark-haired man who sold a lot of fish, but who still seemed to look really down to earth. Or well, sea. 

Clark had carefully went to Arthur's houseboat to ask some questions from him and possibly find out if Arthur was the legendary merman. He had introduced himself and told the reason why he is in Amnesty Bay after Arthur had hesitantly opened the door. He had hoped for some reaction from Arthur, but the long-haired man had been cool as a cucumber, but after small convincing, he had let Clark in. Clark asked few basic questions like if Arthur even heard about the rumors about the tailed creature or if he had seen the merman since he spent so much time at the sea. Arthur was a man of few words, so Clark didn't get much out of him, he had to use a different tactic on him. He had pulled his best sad face and told Arthur that he would probably have to give up with the story since it was a pretty much a dead-end and that his boss would probably make him do some smaller articles as he gets back to Metropolis. He knew that it was wrong to lie, but he had needed the to find out the truth, because Perry might actually have demoted him to smaller articles if he wouldn't have been able to find out the truth. Arthur had actually felt sorry for him since his realisation of being demoted had shined through his face that he had said that with one condition he'd tell Clark a secret which he hadn't told anyone. Clark had beamed with joy and taken out his little notebook, where he writes all the notes from his journeys, and said that he'd accept any condition Arthur had.

Arthur's condition had been that Clark having to alter the story, so that it wouldn't lead to him and Clark absolutely understood Arthur's condition. When he met other mythical creatures like Arthur, most of them wanted to keep their privacy since they don't want people staring at them and whispering things as they walk. Also there is always the chance that people, who don't tolerate difference, come knocking on their door with guns. That is the last thing Clark wants for them to happen. Since Arthur's home village was so small, Arthur would for sure get weird looks if someone found out his secret. And since Arthur wanted to live in peace, he'd probably have to leave the village, where he has lived all of his life, to get away from being the local attraction.

Arthur started by telling Clark that his Atlantean name, which his mother had given him, is Orin, but his father, Tom, had wanted to give him a "human" name. In the end they had ended up picking the name Arthur. His mother, Atlanna, was a mermaid from whom Arthur got his abilities and merman tail which would show up if he got water on his skin. Arthur told that his father had worked as the lighthouse keeper until his death. He loved fishing so he used to go fishing by the ricks close to his house. Atlanna on the other hand had run away from his family in Atlantis and had ended up in Amnesty Bay. She had been resting on the rocks when Tom had been walking to his usual fishing spot on the rocks and there he had seen her. Atlanna had struggled to get away when she had noticed Tom, but she had ended up scratching her tail badly, making her stop from trying to escape. Tom had carefully gone to her and said that he wanted to help. Hesitantly Atlanna had let him pick her up and take her to his small cottage where he cleaned the scratches and bandaged the bigger scratches. But when her tail had gotten dry enough, it had turned into pair of legs which Atlanna hadn't back then known could happen. Both of them had been surprised, but the incident had turned into Tom teaching Atlanna how to walk and later showing her other human things. As they had gotten to know each other, they had fallen in love and few years later, Arthur was born.

Arthur and his mother hadn't turned into their "mer forms" since there was always a risk of someone seeing them. Luckily there was a potion that had kept them from turning as water touched their skin, so daily tasks and rain hadn't bothered them. But one time as a teenager, Arthur had decided to disobey his mother after a bad fight and went to swim in his mer form and in fact, the old man had seen him by the rocks. Arthur had freaked out and he didn't dare to tell his mother, but of course his mother had found out and she had been livid. After that Arthur had listened to her mother and he has only turned two times after the incident; when his father drowned and he tried to save him and when he went after his mother when she couldn't handle her husband's death and ran away back to Atlantis. She is still there with her new family to this day, but she does come to meet Arthur every ten years.

Clark had listened in awe, but he had written everything down although he knew that he wouldn't be able to use most of it in his article. After Arthur had been done, they had decided that Clark would change the names and write the story, so that the merman would have left Amnesty Bay after he had been seen and was now living somewhere else on the coast. Of course, Clark as a good writer, altered Arthur's parents and their story for the article to make sure that nothing would lead to Arthur.

After they had been done with talking about the article, they drank some tea and talked about mundane things like their work and what the differences were between living in a small village like Amnesty Bay and big city like Metropolis. Arthur and Clark got along really well and it made Clark's heart squeeze with happiness. Clark didn't have a lot of close friends back in Metropolis since he traveled so much because of his work, but he did have one best friend, Lois, back at home. Finding a new friend in Arthur was a nice change. Of course he talked with his work friends, but Lois was his only friend who he hang out with. Hours had went by before Clark had decided to head back to his room. He had to go back to Metropolis early the next day to work on the article, so that Perry wouldn't have to come asking for it. Arthur had promised to take him to the bus station the next day since it was outside the village, so they didn't say goodbye to each other just yet, just goodnight. 

As promised, Arthur had picked Clark up from the bed and breakfast he was staying at and had driven him to the bus station. They had decided to stay in touch and Clark had promised to sent his article to Arthur before he gave it to Perry. They had hugged before Clark got into the bus which had taken him to the nearest big city that had an airport. Clark had to admit that he had been a bit sad to leave Arthur since he was like a really nice guy after Clark had gotten through his hard shell and they quickly became friends. After coming back home, they had been in contact for few times and Clark did in fact send the article to Arthur who had been satisfied with it. That made Clark happy and proud of himself and he even thought that the article of Arthur even might be his best work.

Clark quickly read through the article for the hundredth time to make sure that everything was ready for Perry. When he was happy with it, he printed out the article and took it to Perry's office.

"Next months article is ready," Clark said as he put the article down in front of Perry who had his glasses low on his nose since he was reading someone else's article.

"Well that's good, Kent, because I have your next work assignment ready." Perry put the article down from his hands and pulled out a file from the drawer of his desk. He took off his glasses and looked at Clark as he handed over the file. "I hope this isn't coming too soon for you since you only got back a week ago."

To be honest, Clark was taken back a bit since he usually got a few free days after his article was done, but well it wasn't like he could say no to his boss. "Y-Yes, of course. It's not like I had anything planned.." Clark took the file in his hands, but he didn't open it yet since he has always read the files in peace and quiet of his apartment.

"Good! Well now go on and let me do my work and you start on yours. I hope hearing from you in few weeks." Perry put his glasses back on and looked down on the article he had been reading and that was Clark cue to leave the office.

Clark walked to his cubicle and turned off his laptop and put it in his laptop bag with the file he had just gotten. When he was putting his jacket on to shield himself from the cold September wind, Lois walked up to him. 

"You're leaving home? We could go and watch that movie later tonight after I'm out of work." She smiled and leaned on the wall of Clark's cubicle. Lois wrote articles about archaeological findings for the magazine. She was one tough cookie and a determined writer, but also a really loving and caring person after he got to know Lois better. Clark was glad that Lois and him became friends after Lois realized that they weren't rivals in the office. He could trust Lois with anything and so could Lois with him.

"Yeah I am, but I can't come since Perry already gave me my next assignment." Clark sighed and took his bag. "Seems like I'm hitting the road tomorrow."

Lois gave him a sympathetic look and rubbed his arm for comfort. "Oh that sucks. Usually Perry gives you few days to relax before making you work again."

"It seems that he wants to make me work my ass off, so that I can get week free during Thanksgiving." Clark huffed and rolled his eyes. He had asked Perry for a week off from work during Thanksgiving since he wanted to go and see his mother in Smallville, but his boss wasn't big on giving long holidays without making his writers work for it.

"Don't worry, Clark, you will get it. But well text me when you have read the file and know where you are heading." She smiled and they said goodbye before Clark headed towards the elevators. As he stepped outside, the cold wind made him shiver. He pulled his jacket closer to his body and slid his hands into his pockets and headed towards the metro.

Clark used the public transportation to go to work and come back home since he didn't own a car. It'd be pretty useless for him to own a car since he was so much away and he lived close to the office building Usually during the warm weather, Clark would walk home, but since it was September and a bit cold already, he didn't want to risk getting the flu.

As Clark arrived at his tiny but cozy apartment, he shrugged off his jacket and immediately went to turn up the heater because the cold wind had frozen his cheeks while he had walked to his apartment from the metro stop. After he had gotten a bit warmer, he opened his laptop bag and took out the file and put it down on the kitchen island. Reading it would have to wait for a bit since he needed to eat something, his stomach had started to growl pretty noticeably in the metro. Clark heated up some of yesterday's leftovers since he didn't have anything else in his fridge. He took few bites of his food to get his grumbling stomach to calm down, reading would be easier that way. He moved the file next to his plate and opened it as he continued to eat, but he tried not to get the papers stained from the food as he read through them. 

There was a brief summary from Perry about the legend of his next assignment. It said that people in the neighbor city, Gotham City, believed that in one forest in the outskirts of the city, lived a werewolf. _For once I don't have to travel far away _, Clark thought to himself. Werewolves weren't a rare legend, in fact he had already written one werewolf article this year and that time, the werewolf had been just a man with a big bushy beard and hairy arms who lived in a forest and it was his dog that had howled during the night. It had been a funny but awkward encounter, but he was happy that people in the town had stopped bothering the man after the article had been published.__

As he read on, not to Clark's surprise, not many citizen of Gotham had actually seen the werewolf except for one young man called Barry Allen, who was the one and only eyewitness. Like in Arthur's case, a lot of cases always have that one person or few people who have seen the creature of their legend and it's the fake facts and exaggerated stories that make the legend bigger than it actually might be. The file said that the people, who are sure about the werewolf's existence, live close to the forest and they believe in the werewolf, because they have heard howling and growling from the dark forest. But the few who have dared to go into the forest, have also heard growling and howling, but no one has dared to go there anymore, because Barry had gotten slightly hurt by the beast. Interestingly there was also mentioned that the forest was private property of the late Wayne family, but name didn't sound familiar to Clark's ears. Maybe he should look into the family's history as he gets to Gotham.

As Clark was done with reading the notes that Perry had given him and the few other texts that the file contained, he got up to wash his empty plate. He had this weird feeling inside him which he always had before leaving for a new job. If Clark was honest, he felt kind of bad about publishing the articles since sometimes the readers somehow figured out who the person in them was and started to invade their privacy. Some even went to the extreme and have tried to hunt the mythical creatures. Of course some of his articles were about older legends, so there was no harm done, but lately Perry had given him a lot legends that weren't even old. Clark had mentioned about his discomfort with the newer legends to Perry, but he had just dismissed it and said that his articles were a hit, his readers waited for his pieces every month, so he should be grateful for having a big audience and for him finding good legends for Clark. Clark hadn't said anything after that since he wanted to keep his job. He just tried to push the discomfort away, but the feeling always came back when he saw the worried faces of the people who were the subject of the article he was writing at the moment. That is why he always put a lot of effort in his article, so that they would be as best as possible for his readers, but also for the people who were behind the story.

Clark scrubbed his plate and glass clean before he went to get his laptop since he needed to check what time the local buses left to Gotham the next day. No matter what Perry would say, Clark wanted to sleep until late morning in his own bed before leaving town, so he picked the bus that left at 2.30 pm, that would leave him time to sleep in and he wouldn't have to hurry to the bus station. Clark contemplated on packing already tonight or tomorrow, and decided to gather the things he needed for the road already tonight since he wanted peaceful morning with a nice cup of hot coffee and the morning paper.

Clark sighed and got up and went into his small bedroom. He only had a small bed, a nightstand and a desk for his laptop in his room, because the room was so small. The grey walls at least had a few framed photos of his family and him and Lois and some of their articles were also framed on the wall, so at least his room wasn't too dull and impersonal. Although the room was pretty small, it had a little walk-in closet. Clark stepped into the closet and pulled out his trusted duffel bag. He threw it on his bed and started to pick out clothes for his trip to Gotham. He picked out some warmer clothes to wear, but also a few button-up shirts which he had plenty to choose from. After picking out the clothes he needed, he pulled out a pair of warm gloves and a scarf, just in case it got colder.

Since Clark was very used to packing, he was done with it pretty quickly. He decided to call his mother, Martha, since he knew that he would be too busy and stressed to call to anyone while he was travelling. After a few rings, his mother answered. "Hey, Clark. Did you just get home?"

"No, I've been home for few hours now, but I got a new assignment from Perry, so I read the file and studied the case. And I already packed, so that I can sleep in tomorrow." Clark walked into the living room and fell down on his worn out looking couch that he got from the flea market. He was in desperate need of furniture when he moved in, but he didn't have a lot of money to spent, so he got most of his furniture from the flea market. He liked the look of them because they made his apartment look more cozy and welcoming.

"Oh no honey, he's making you work too much! You just got back from the east coast! I need to call your boss and tell him to stop being so hard on you. You're not some superhuman!" his mother huffed, making Clark chuckle. This wasn't the first time his mother wasn't happy about how Perry treated him. She even got angry about how Perry strained Lois with work. She truly was the best mom a son could ask for. Maybe sometimes a bit too protective, but that is just how moms are.

"Mom, I'm not a kid in school who gets too much homework before exams, this is just how journalist's work is. It's okay, seriously. Besides I don't even have to travel far away this time. The case is in Gotham City and it's only a bit under an hour away by bus." Clark tried to calm his mom down and it seemed to work since after that his mom wasn't threatening Perry. They talked about the cold weather ("Did you pack warmly?" "Yes, mom."), about the family's old dog, Hank and how his childhood home needs some fixing, just normal things.

After talking for a good hour, they said goodnight and Clark put his phone away. He rubbed his eyes underneath his thick glasses when he felt a bit tired, but since the clock was only half past seven he decided to look at the file once again and make some plans for the road. He pulled out his highlighter from his laptop bag and highlighted the main points in the articles and texts that were inside the file. He also wrote down his thoughts in the edges of the papers to open up the case a bit and for later use. He liked to write down his thoughts as much as he could, because it was easier for him to write the article after weeks from reading the file for the first time. 

Clark didn't notice the time flying, so when he looked at the clock on his phone and noticed the clock being already 10 pm, he quickly put the file back into his bag and got up from the couch. As he stood up, his joints popped loudly and he had to stretch out his muscles from the sitting position that he had worked in. He went to brush his teeth and then headed to his bedroom to pull on some comfy pajama pants. When Clark lay down on his bed and put his glasses on his nightstand, he sighed in relaxation and while closing his eyes. He was really close to falling asleep when he remembered that he had promised to text Lois. He reached for his phone on his nightstand and slowly typed a text to Lois, the light of the screen shining too brightly for his sleepy eyes, so he had to squint and it made the typing hard.

From: Clark  
To: Lois  
10.34 pm  
**"I'm heading to Gotham City tomorrow. Luckily don't have to travel far this time. See you in a week or so. Night." ******

He waited for moment for Lois text and she replied quickly.

From: Lois  
To: Clark  
10.35 pm  
**"Well that's good tho! Be careful as always. Good night. :)" ******

Clark smiled sleepily to his friend's worry. Lois always told him to stay safe although nothing ever had happened to him during his trips. Well, one time Clark had gotten one local man angry by going around and asking questions for his article, but the situation had calmed down and no physical harm had been done. After that, Lois took him to self-defense classes although for a well-built, athletic man like Clark, it was kind of useless since he could overpower his attacker pretty often, but even his mother insisted on Clark going, so he pretty much couldn't say no.

Clark put an alarm to surely wake him up since he didn't want to miss his bus, but then he put his phone back on his nightstand and finally fully relaxed on his bed. The case was still on his mind, especially the last name "Wayne" since it was mentioned so often in the papers, but he forced it out from his mind. When he got his mind cleared, he drifted off to deep, peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the first chapter and will leave some kudos and comments and stick around to find out what's gonna happen next~
> 
> [Here is a link for my tumblr~](http://antiheronea.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thanks for reading and see you in the next one! ❤


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got the new chapter surprisingly fast up lol but the third chapter won't be up until the end of next week since I'm having my wisdom teeth surgically pulled out tomorrow and I'm away until sunday :( But I will start to work on the new chapter on monday and get it edited and posted as fast as I can! 
> 
> AND AH thank you so so so much for the nice comments on the first chapter! ;u; i was so overwhelmed when I kept getting new comments and it was such a confidence booster to read them so thank you so much y'all for the comments and kudos! ❤

    Clark didn't know where he was or where he was going. All he knew was that he had to find something even though he didn't know what it was.  It was so dark that he barely could see in front of himself. Clark had to take careful, well thought steps, because the cold ground was covered in roots and slippery leaves from the trees around him. The only sounds in the forest were his anxious breaths, the soil under his shoes and the cold howling wind. Otherwise it was dead silent, Clark's mind though was loud with thoughts.  

 

    He didn't know how long he had walked, but suddenly he saw that the forest was ending. On an empty field there was a big, abandoned looking mansion. Clark quickened his steps. The moon on the night sky shined into the forest from the gaps of the trees so he was able to see were he was stepping. All of a sudden he realized that he wasn't moving forward. Clark started to jog, but he still wasn't reaching the end of the forest.  

 

    Suddenly he felt like someone or something was looking at him. Clark started to run as fast as he could, but he still wasn't moving. He started to panic as he could sense the creature in the dark coming towards him. He started to scream for help although he knew he was alone with the unknown creature. He screamed louder as he could hear the beast's terrifying growls near him.  

 

    Just as Clark was about to look to see how close the growling monster was, he noticed someone standing outside the mansion. He froze to look at the person to try to identify him, but just then the beast attacked Clark with its sharp teeth and long claws. He screamed in horror and shielded his face from the monster. He fell to the ground with a thump, but something was wrong. There was no pain, he just could hear a loud, familiar ringing around him. Just as he was about to look at the beast, Clark opened his eyes and he was back in his own bedroom, safe and sound. 

 

    It took a moment for Clark to realize that there wasn't a monstrous beast in his room to attack him. The nightmare had felt so real, too real. Clark sat up and turned off the alarm which had woken him up from his nightmare. He has never been this grateful for an alarm to wake him up. Clark got up and walked to the bathroom to take a cold shower to wake himself up. He had slept a bit restlessly all night, but it had only gotten bad as the nightmare had started.  

 

    All morning Clark's mind was on the nightmare. _Does the forest and the mansion from my nightmare really exist? If they do, where are they located? In the U.S. or somewhere further away?_ Clark sighed and rubbed his face. He was trying to enjoy his morning coffee, but the thoughts in his head and exhaustion didn't let him. He wasn't feeling like travelling, but he had no choice so he just finished his coffee and quickly cleaned the mug and plate he had used. He didn't want any moldy surprises as he got back. Lois did check on his house plants and brought in the mail when she had time, but Clark didn't want to bother her with his dirty dishes. As he was finished, he checked all the rooms for anything he had to clean or put away before leaving to the bus station. Since he had only been a week back home, there wasn't a lot of mess to clean up. Clark brought his duffel and laptop bag from his room to the hall and pulled his shoes and jacket on before heading out of the door. 

 

    The bus station was located 10 minute walk away from Clark's apartment. Since it had gotten even colder than yesterday, Clark headed to the metro stop closest to him. In the metro, he pulled a beanie on his head to cover his ears from the possible cold wind outside. When he got to the bus station, he directly went to cash in the bus ticket which he had bought yesterday. The bus station luckily wasn't too crowded, so there wasn't a line in the small café that was in the building. He went to buy some coffee for the road before heading to the platform from which his bus departed. The bus driver was already taking passengers' luggage into the bus' luggage compartment so Clark went in and gave his duffel bag before getting into the bus. 

 

    The drive to Gotham went peacefully, because Clark had finally forgotten his terrifying nightmare. Most of the drive he looked at the passing by view and sipped on his coffee. Clark did text Lois and his mother that he was in the bus heading towards Gotham as the bus had taken off. Both women had replied with texts that wished him good luck and they reminded him to stay safe. The texts made Clark smile. Sometimes it felt like Lois was his second mother with all the worrying and caring.  

 

    Clark knew immediately that he was close to his destination when he saw tall buildings rising towards the cloudy sky. He had never been to Gotham before although it wasn't far away from Metropolis. Lois though had been to Gotham a few times because of work. Every time after she had said that it wasn't the same place during the day and night-time. Clark was aware of Gotham's unsafe streets during night. He had planned to avoid walking outside during the night-time to keep himself safe. He had heard stories that even people in Gotham actually rushed into their homes before it got too dark. It was clear to Clark now why people did that. Some people were afraid of the rising criminal problem, but some were afraid of the possible werewolf that lurked in the Wayne forest. 

 

    The thought of the creature of Clark's current article triggered the nightmare back into his mind. _Was I dreaming about the werewolf in Gotham? Was it some kind of flash to what is going to happen?_ Clark swallowed as he thought about the werewolf attacking him. He hoped it wasn't some kind of omen to something that was actually going to happen.. 

 

"Son, we are in Gotham now," a gentle voice pulled Clark away from his thoughts. Clark looked at his right and saw an old lady with grey, curly hair and long, green jacket standing next to him. Everyone else from the bus had left, she and him were the only ones left. 

 

    "Ah thank you. I was deep in my thoughts," Clark chuckled in slight embarrassment and stood up.  

 

    The woman chuckled light-heartedly and started slowly head towards the doors in the front. "You remind me of my late husband. He always was deep in thoughts and missed most of the things I said to him." Clark laughed with her and helped her with the steep stairs. They went to get their luggage together and talked about things while waiting. The lady's name was Eleanor and she was born and raised in Gotham. When they both had their luggage by their sides, Clark decided to ask Eleanor something. 

 

    "I didn't mention this earlier, but I'm here to write an article about the legendary werewolf. The legend has been around for over two decades. I was wondering if you are aware about it?" Clark carefully asked from the small woman. She clearly knew what he was talking about right away. 

 

    "Oh yes, I was around 35 years old when I first heard about it. The Wayne forest is on the other side of the city from where I have been living since I was 28. So I've never seen or heard the werewolf myself.." Eleanor explained, but didn't say if she believed in the legend. 

 

    "So do you believe that the werewolf exists?" Clark look at Eleanor and to Clark's surprise she nodded. "Yes, even though I have never actually seen or heard the beast. But I know someone who has seen it." Clark's eyes grew from surprise. He wanted to ask if he could get phone number or address of the person whom Eleanor was talking about, but he though it might me too invasive.  

 

    "You want his phone number, don't you, son?" Eleanor chuckled and Clark bowed down his head in shame. His pondering face seemed to have given out his desires to get the contact information. 

 

    "Yes, if it isn't too much of trouble for you or him?" Clark bit his lip and might have pulled a slight puppy face as he looked at Eleanor. She only shook her head with a smile of amusement on her face as she was reaching for her purse. 

 

    "You're lucky that you are a charming young man, Clark. But here.." she wrote down two numbers and names on top of each number and handed the piece of paper to Clark. Clark looked at the numbers, one of them was Eleanor's, but the other name made him gasp in surprise. 

 

    "Barry Allen?" Clark looked up in surprise. This had to be the young man who had gotten hurt by the werewolf.  

 

    Eleanor smiled and nodded. "Yes, he lives next door to me and helps me with the lawn. Silly young man, but really caring." 

 

    Clark couldn't believe his luck. He had just arrived to Gotham and he had already interviewed one citizen from Gotham, but also gotten a number to the only person who had seen the beast. "I don't know what to say, Eleanor.. This truly means a lot to me and speeds up my work. Thank you so much." 

 

    Eleanor chuckled as Clark leaned down to hug the elder woman. "You're welcome, son. I wrote down my number as well so just call if you need anything." Clark promised to call and even promised to visit Eleanor before leaving back to Metropolis. He took Eleanor's luggage and they walked together to the crowded taxi line. They bid goodbyes as a taxi finally drove next to them. Clark opened the door for Eleanor and waved to her as the taxi headed towards the busy road. It didn't take long until a new taxi came and took Clark to the motel he was staying at. 

 

    Clark studied the room as he was shrugging of his jacket from his shoulders. The room was fairly big with a queen bed and few other furniture. The walls had an awful muddy green wallpaper with grey stripes which didn't please Clark's eyes. But Clark didn't care about how the room looked. As long as the bed was decent to sleep on and the neighbor rooms were quiet, he was happy. Clark put his duffel bag on the armchair in the corner, but laid down his laptop bag next to the bed. As he sat down on the bed, he evaluated the mattress since he would be sleeping on it for as long as he was in Gotham. Of course, the mattress wasn't as soft as his own bed, but at least it didn't make any weird sounds as he bounced on it a few times.  

 

    Clark pulled his phone and the piece of paper with the phone numbers from the pocket of his jacket. The clock was a bit over half past four so Barry might be home already. Clark contemplated on calling the young stranger right away. He wanted to start working on his article right away so he decided to call Barry. 

 

    After a few rings, Barry answered. "Hello.. who's this? Strangers usually don't call to me.." 

 

    "Hi, my name is Clark Kent. I'm a journalist from Metropolis and I'm doing an article about the werewolf--"

 

    "Finally someone believes me! I mean, most people do believe what I said, because of the large scar on my chest. But some people just think that I want attention to myself! Can you believe that?! I mean, yes, I need more friends, but it's not like I'm getting more friends by getting almost killed! I'm not crazy or anything! You do believe me, right?" 

 

Clark tried to keep up with what Barry was saying, but he could only blink as the young man talked with the speed of lighting.  "Yes, I do. I'm trying to find out the truth and I was hoping if you could help me. If it isn't too much to ask?" 

 

    "Oh of course not! I'm happy to help! What do you need me to do?" Clark could hear Barry beaming through the phone and it made Clark smile as well. It was nice that most people were happy to help with his articles. There was always some people who were too busy or just didn't want to be bothered by nosy journalists. 

 

    "Well we could meet in some cafe tomorrow?" 

 

    "Yeah sounds good! Let's meet at the cafe next to my university at 3 pm. I will text you the address, because I bet you don't know where to go if I didn't." Barry laughed and Clark laughed with him. "Yeah sounds good. See you tomorrow!" 

 

    "See ya!" 

 

    After a minute, Clark's phone beeped. There was a text with the address of the cafe from Barry's number. Clark typed the address into the map app on his phone to see where the cafe was located. It was a bit outside the center city, but it didn't bother him. Clark liked to explore places so he was in for an adventure tomorrow.

 

    For the rest of the night, Clark didn't do much. He made few notes into his trusted notebook about how his assignment was going so far and about what Eleanor had said. After that he just laid on his bed and watched TV and ate a pizza which he had ordered in. 

 

    The next day, he left around mid-day to walk around Gotham City to interview people before he was meeting Barry. As Clark was walking around, he looked around and studied the surroundings and also the citizens to see who to interview. He saw a park near to him so he headed there to see if there was possible people who to interview. From the park, he continued his way to the center of Gotham were most of the fuss was happening. People rushed in hurry around him and few even bumped on him without apologizing on the busy streets. 

 

    One thing was bothering Clark as he looked through the notes from the interviews he had just written down. All the people who he interviewed seemed to pale at the mention of the werewolf and they said that Clark shouldn't step into that cursed forest. Were all of the citizens that afraid of the werewolf, even the forest? At first it seemed like the legend was only known by some. But as Clark has been asking around, everyone has known at least the fact that no one should step into the forest. It confused Clark. 

 

    Clark was deep in thoughts when suddenly someone walked hurriedly past Clark. He didn't seem to have notice him since he hit Clark with such force that his briefcase flew on the ground and it popped open. Most of the papers inside the briefcase scattered around them on the pavement. 

 

    "Oh no, I'm so sorry!" Clark in haste kneeled down and started to gather the papers. He briefly saw what was written on the papers and it made Clark frown. _Greek gods and creatures? Norse mythology? What is this?_

 

    "Oh boy, don't touch those!" the semi long-haired blond man hurried to say with a bit maniac tone. He ripped the papers from Clark's hands and stuffed them back into the briefcase. "Err, I mean.. those have some confidential information in them about my business. Heh don't want you to see those.." The man laughed nervously and started to gather the rest of the papers in hurry. 

 

Clark was a bit taken back by the stranger's tone of voice since he clearly was lying to him. But of course he didn't start to argue and just stepped aside. "I'm sorry, of course. Just wanted to help." 

 

    "Only few here are willing to help, so that's nice of you." the young man said as he finally had gathered all his important papers from the ground. Clark suddenly realized that the man looked really familiar. It didn't take him long to realize that he was Lex Luthor, the hereditary CEO of LexCorp. 

 

    "Well we do tend to help others in Metropolis. That is where I live." Clark's comment made Lex laugh. He truly had a unique laugh. 

 

    "Ah Metropolis! My main office is there, but I have been here for the past few months, because of one new project." Lex pointed to the tall building behind him. The tall building had the word "LexCorp" in big letters at the top, it was hard to miss. 

 

    "Well it's nice to meet you, Mr. Luthor. I have heard a lot about you and your work." Clark chuckled and offered his hand to Lex who took the offered hand and shook it. 

 

    "I hope only good though. I can't keep up with what all the papers say anymore these days." Lex laughed, but there was a hint of nervousness. Lex seemed like a harmless guy. Just the way he had freaked out over the papers a moment ago made Clark think that maybe there was more to him. Something unknown to public behind the harmless nervousness and his amazing philanthropy work. 

 

"Well I'm a journalist so I hear all the good and the bad, but I like to decide my opinion based on how I see things myself." Clark smiled and Lex seemed to perk up at the fact that he was a journalist. 

 

    "You are one smart fellow. I should let you do all of my interviews!" Lex laughed and seemed like he was in no hurry to hop into the black, expensive car that waiting for him. 

 

    "Actually I write about legends and I'm here to write about the legendary wolf that lives in the Wayne Forest." Clark chucked and expected Lex to react in some other way than the way he did. Lex's face paled and he visibly tensed up. 

 

    "O-Oh, well that's nice. Look, I'm in hurry. It was nice talking to you. Goodbye." And just like that Lex was gone as he hurried to his car. As Clark was turning away from the expensive car, he heard Lex say to him. "Don't go in to the forest."  

 

    Bewildered Clark hurriedly turned around to look at Lex, but the young businessman had already closed the door of the backseat. The car was driving away so Clark didn't get to say anything. 

 

    It was Clark's ringtone that pulled him from his staring. Clark pulled his phone from the pocket of his jacket and noticed that it was Barry calling him. 

 

    "Oh shoot, it's already 3 pm." Clark muttered to himself before answering Barry's call. "Hey Barry, sorry I got stuck with one guy, but I'm heading towards the cafe now." 

 

    "It's okay, man. Me and Vic just arrived here, too. We will be here waiting for you. This place has the best hot drinks so it's not like I'm too sad about you being late! It just gives us time to drink more!" Barry babbled again which Clark found more endearing than annoying. But well he hadn't spent more time with Barry so it might get a bit vexing after some time. 

 

    "Oh you brought a friend with you?" 

 

    "Yeah, I think he could be good addition to your article, because he was with me that night in the forest. Well there was other's as well, but well.. we aren't that close to them.." 

 

    "That's great, Barry, but tell me more when I'm there. I really do appreciate the thought though. I will be at the cafe in ten minutes. Bye!" 

 

    "Take your time, this hot cocoa is awesome!" Clark shook his head as he could hear Barry slurping on his drink. What an eccentric guy, Clark chuckled. He kept heading towards the cafe where Barry and Victor were waiting for him. He would get soon even closer to finding out the truth about the werewolf in the Wayne Forest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you liked the chapter, let me know in the comments what you thought! :3 Comments are like kisses from Ben Affleck~ ❤ 
> 
>  
> 
> [Here is a link to my tumblr~](http://antiheronea.tumblr.com/)
> 
>  
> 
> Thanks for reading and see you in the next one! ❤


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I KNOW I'M THE WORST EVER BUT I CAN EXPLAIN... no actually i cant lol XD
> 
> let's just say that i have had stuff going on and also i just didn't as confident as when i started so i just didn't feel motivated to write..
> 
> this chapter was planned to be longer, but then i decided to just post it since i haven't posted in ages.. PLUS BE WARNED, i haven't proof read this so it's probably a mess lol
> 
> but well i hope you will still enjoy it c:

It didn't take long for Clark to find his way to the cafe where he was meeting Barry and his friend, Victor. The cafe was a bit outside the busy center of Gotham, but it only took him five minutes to find the correct street.

As he walked into the cafe, he realised he didn't know how Barry looked. But it didn't seem to be a problem as a dark-haired young man started to wave his hand like a mad man to Clark. 

"Hey, you must be Clark! Or well I hope so!" Barry laughed and Clark walked up to him and the guy sitting next to him.

"Yeah, I am. Nice to meet you, Barry." Clark smiled and offered his hand for a shake, but Barry just pushed a steaming cup of black coffee in his hand.

"We didn't know what you like, so we just ordered a plain coffee for you. Hope it works. Now sit down and let's get to work!" Barry grinned in excitement and Clark just sat down on the opposite chair from Barry. "Thanks.."

"Try to get used to that. Barry acts like he has drunk all the energy drinks most of the time." Victor, who was sitting next to Barry, chuckled calmly. Victor seemed like a guy who was a lot more down-to-earth and calmer than Barry. Clark guessed it was the fact that Victor and Barry were such polar opposites from each other that it made them such a compatible friends. 

"Hey!" Barry punched Victor's arm softly.

Clark chuckled. "It's okay." He pulled his notebook from his laptop bag while Victor and Barry poked each other. "So Barry, could you tell me what happened that night when you were in the Wayne Forest? Try to tell as much as you can."

Barry turned to look at Clark. He sat straight and for a second he was all quiet.

"It only started as a stupid dare.. Me and Vic were at this party that Vic's teammate threw. His house was close to the forest, like you could see it clearly from the balcony of the second floor. 

We were just hanging out in the backyard when this one douchebag came to us and said that we wouldn't dare to go to the forest. I mean I didn't want to step into that forest, but Jack kept pushing us and Vic had enough and started to head towards the forest.. Of course, I couldn't let him go there alone so I followed him and so did Jack and few of his friends." Clark glanced at Victor while Barry was talking and he was looking down to his drink, clearly ashamed of his actions.

"It took us around five minutes to be pretty deep into the woods, at least it seemed that we were deep in there since it was night. I stopped Vic and said to Jack that we were in the forest now so we won his stupid dare, but he said that we need to keep walking. It was so stupid that I started to raise my voice at him.. All of a sudden Jack and friends looked really pale and scared and Vic grabbed my arm. As I stopped talking, I could hear growling right next to us and there was a pair of glowing yellow eyes in the dark. Jack and his friends started to run away and also did Vic, but I was too frozen in fear.." Barry started to get visibly uneasy while telling about the horror that he witnessed. 

Clark smiled in comfort. "Go on, you're safe here."

Barry nodded and took a shaky deep breath before continuing. "That thing was huge and not on of those cute wolves that are in Twilight. It was more one of those beast-looking werewolves from the horror stories. It was taller than me, but it was a bit hunched forward so that thing was freaking enormous!" Barry suddenly frowned. "It also had a lot of scars scattered around its body and very heave and sturdy looking shackles over its body.. I wonder if someone had tried to lock it away.."

Clark was writing in hurry to capture every word Barry told since this was all new information for Clark. He hadn't read any descriptions about the beast or even about the shackles that Barry mentioned.

Clark pushed his glasses up on his nose as he looked at Barry. "How did the wolf attack you? And how did you escape that?"

Barry snorted and shook his head. "Like I said, I was just standing there like an idiot.. Of course it attacked a standing scrawny guy like me. It slashed it claws on my chest and I fell to the ground.. Luckily Victor came to save me." Barry looked at his friend and smiled. "And bless his amazing football talent, he can freaking run." Barry laughed.

"I was escaping from the forest when I suddenly realised that this dumbass was still there so I returned. I threw a big rock at the werewolf and while it was distracted, I picked Barry up and started running. Fortunately we weren't that far from the edge of the forest, because the monster stopped running after us when it noticed the forest ending."

Clark frowned. "It can't leave the forest?"

"Can't or won't." Victor shrugged. 

Clark blinked as he looked at bald young man, even Barry seemed intrigued by Victor's argument. "What do you mean by that? You think it doesn't want to leave the forest by its own will?"

"I don't know, man.. I just got this feeling.. like it could have killed Barry right on the spot, but it "just" hurt him with its claws.." Victor pondered. "And it wasn't even running full speed after us, it felt like it was just chasing us away from the forest.."

Barry and Clark looked at Victor with surprised looks on their faces. After all this time, someone doubted that the werewolf was evil. The more Clark thought about it, it did sound possible. First of all, only Barry had seen the wolf face to face and it has never killed anyone. People were just afraid it so they made it into a monstrous beast.

"You could be right, Victor." Clark rubbed his chin. 

Barry surprisingly seemed to agree, too. "That does sound surprisingly reasonable.. Why didn't you tell me this before?" Barry frowned at his friend.

Victor shrugged and looked at dark-haired man. "I thought you might get mad.. I'm not trying to defend the werewolf or anything, I just don't see it as the beast like everyone else." Victor looked at Barry hesitantly, but his worries were washed away as Barry hugged him.

" Of course, I wouldn't get mad, you stubborn ass! You know I'm here for you." Barry pulled back and smiled happily to his friend. Victor returned the smile. Clark couldn't help, but smile also since the two friends seemed like nothing could separate them.

Clark, Victor and Barry talked for hours about the case and other things. Barry recommended Clark to check out the history museum of Gotham since it carried a lot of information about the legend and also the late Wayne family. 

When it got dark, Clark decided to head back to his motel room to collect his thoughts. Victor said that he could take Clark to the motel with this car since the motel was close to the rougher sides of Gotham. So soon Clark was back at his room safe and sound.

After taking a refreshing shower, Clark called both his mother and Lois and talked with them for a while. After the last call to his mother ended, Clark made some final scribbles on his notebook before heading to bed. 

Clark was standing in the middle of a huge hall. There were long stairs in front of him and two lounge looking rooms on his each side. As he looked behind him, there was no door. Clark thought about where to head first, but before he could even decide, he started to head upstairs.

The hallway at the end of the stairs seemed like it would never end. But there were countless amount of doors spaced a long the hallway. Clark blinked as he didn't know which door to pick so he just started to walk.

After few minutes of walking, the hallway was still not ending. Clark was starting to freak out, but suddenly he noticed a room with an open door. He carefully walked to the door and peaked inside. It was a bedroom and there was small candle lit on the nightstand next to the unmade bed. Clark thought that the room was empty so he stepped in. He looked around and noticed shackles on the ground. Clark frowned, but was pulled from his thoughts as he heard a noise in the room. He turned to look at the bed and noticed that there was a small shivering body under the blankets.

Clark swallowed and slowly stepped closer to the bed. As he was about to pull the blanket away, a monstrous growl came from the door. As Clark was so close to finally seeing the beast, someone grabbed his wrist and shouted. “Get out!” And just like that Clark opened his eyes and he was back to his motel room alone.

Clark had to gather his thoughts for a moment. Who was the boy in the dream? Was he somehow connected to the werewolf? It was all too confusing for Clark so he just got up from his squeaky bed and started to get ready for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this chapter~  
> And btw comments and kudos are like kisses from Ben Affleck~ ;3;
> 
> [Here is a link for my tumblr~](http://antiheronea.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thanks for reading and see you in the next one! ❤


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ... I'm sorry, okay? XD
> 
> I know it took me freaking four months, but I lost all my motivation and my laptop got broken at one point and just aaahh.. the biggest problem was loss of motivation and belief in myself.  
> I started to doubt myself like I always do, and I was ready to just delete the whole thing, but then I decided against it and just gave myself time. And well here we are with a new chapter!
> 
> Let's hope the next chapter won't take another four months tho XD

The horrible nightmare was still on Clark's mind as he made his way to the Gotham City Museum by bus. Questions swarmed around his mind making it hard to come up with the day's plan. Who was the small, dark-haired boy? Was that mansion his home? Where did it locate? Did it even exist or was it just his imagination?

Clark shook his head and rubbed his face. He had to focus on his article, not on his weird mysterious dreams. But the dream just felt too real.

The journalist pushed the thoughts and questions out of his mind as he hopped out of the bus next to the museum. The museum looked like a typical old stone building with wide stairs that lead up to the main entrance. There was a sign that said "Gotham City Museum" in golden lettering on top of the large wooden doors. Clark pulled out his camera and took few photos of the front before walking inside of the building.

The inside of the museum was breathtaking. The atmosphere was mystifying, because of the low lighting and the fact that there was no one in sight. It was a bit odd to Clark that there was no tourists or even locals. The city museum of Metropolis was always filled with people eager to learn about the city. But Gotham's museum was a bit outside the busy main city area, so maybe it was the reason why it wasn't busy. Or maybe it was just the fact that Clark was there really early.

Clark checked the front desk and the main hall for someone, but there was no one. _Is this place even open yet?_ , Clark thought.

"Hel-- Oh jeez!" Clark turned around as he heard a voice with an accent behind him.

"Good morning. I'm sorry, I was in the backroom getting more brochures." a gorgeous woman walked to him with a heavy looking box in her arms. _Wow she must be really strong_ , Clark blinked in amazement. Before Clark could say anything, she gave out a brochure of the museum to him.

"Thanks." Clark looked down at the brochure and quickly looked through it. "I assume that you work here?"

"Yes, my name is Diana Prince. Are you interested in a guided tour?" Diana set down the box behind the front desk and took out a stack of leaflets and laid them down on the desk. Diana was a beautiful woman with olive skin and long dark hair. She moved with a mixture of grace and force, it was engaging to watch.

"Yes, please." Clark nodded eagerly. "Actually I came here for a reason. I'm a journalist from Metropolis and I'm in Gotham to make an article about the legend of the werewolf that lives in the Wayne Forest. And I was hoping that you could help me?"

Diana looked up to Clark and cocked an eyebrow. Clark was worried that his request would be turned down, but in fact, Diana looked intrigued.

"The werewolf? Sounds like an unusual subject for a journalist.." Diana hummed and leaned on the desk to examine Clark from head to toe.

"Well I work for a magazine that is about history and culture. I write about local legends around the country." Clark smiled.

"Ah makes sense then." Diana shrugged and chuckled. "Well you are in luck, we have a large collection about the Wayne family." Clark followed his guide with a small frown on his face to a large room on the left from the main hall. 

So the Wayne family was connected to the werewolf. It was kind of obvious since the thing lived in the forest that was owned by the family. Clark just didn't want to assume anything before he had the facts laid down in front of him.

They walked into a small room that located at the end of the large, open hall. It only took a quick glance to notice that the small room was dedicated to the late Wayne family. The Wayne dedicated room was a lot different to the open hall which was spaceous and easy to take in. The small room was covered in pictures and desks with news articles about the wealthy family. 

"As you can see, this room is all dedicated to the Wayne's. They're a big part of the history of this city, because of their succesful business, Wayne Enterprises. But also because their family line goes way back to the early days to the build of a city that was going to be Gotham City." Diana pointed to picture of a tall building with a sign saying "Wayne Enterprises" and large number of pictures with different old family portraits.

Clark pulled out his notebook from his bag and wrote down notes of the things Diana was telling him. She smiled and kept talking.

"But I bet you are mostly interested with the family that is connected to your legend." Diana walked to the back of the room and pointed to a portrait with a beautiful young woman holding a baby in her arms and her tall husband looking down at them lovingly.

"Doctor Thomas Wayne married Martha Kane, who was also from a wealthy family. But well, Martha's parents didn't agree on their marriage. But Martha was head over heels in love with Thomas so she didn't care about her parents opinion and married Thomas anyways. People liked to say that the Kane family owned 'the half of Gotham that the Wayne's didn't'."

"Wow.. is this going to end up with a Romeo and Juliet kind of death?" Clark swallowed as he looked at the baby in Martha's arms.

Diana chuckled sadly and shook her head. "No, they were sadly brutally murdered." She turned around and pointed at a news article on a desk. The headline said 'The successful Wayne's brutally murdered, young Bruce Wayne mysteriously gone'.

"They were found clawed to death on the edge of their yard, but their son, Bruce, was gone. And still to this day, not a trace of him has been found." Diana looked at the article with a sad expression on her face. Clark couldn't help, but feel great sorrow as well. Martha and Thomas looked so in love in every picture of them that was in the room. And the fact that the young boy wasn't found made the situation even more sad.

"How old was Bruce when all this happened?" Clark looked at Diana sadly. 

The woman pointed at news article about a gala that was dated a week before the murder. "He was ten."

Clark looked closer to the picture where the young, black-haired boy stood grinning happily in front of his parents. Suddenly Clark went all pale. Even Diana noticed it and laid a hand on Clark's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"I-It's him. H-He's the boy in my nightmares." Clark swallowed and pulled back. Every where he looked, the only pictures he noticed were the ones were young Bruce Wayne was smiling happily. It was far from the scared face that he saw in his dreams.

As he looked around in panic, he noticed a familiar looking building. The mansion from his nightmares. Clark freaked out and left the room. He sat down on bench next to the Wayne history room to catch a breath.

Diana sat down next to him and the look on her surprisingly was not a weirded out look, but once again a look of interest. "You have had nightmares about the werewolf and Bruce?"

The journalist glanced at Diana with a desperate face and nodded. He wanted answers, but it felt like all he got was more questions.

"Yes. They started right after I got this assignment from my boss. I got this file about the legend, before it I didn't know anything about the Wayne's or the werewolf." Clark explained and got more and more uneasy about the whole situation. It was all becoming too real to him.

Diana looked like she was deep in thought. "You clearly then got a part in this."

Clark winced and looked at the guide like she was mad. "How could I possibly be part of this? I know nothing about the whole family or the werewolf! I don't even have any ties to Gotham."

"It's not like that." Diana chuckled and didn't explain further. She had a mysterious look on her face and Clark didn't know what it was. All he knew was that he couldn't possibly have any part in the legend or the Wayne family.

The man rubbed his face and tried to collect himself. He should try to act professional, but all he was doing was everything else but being professional.

"I'm sorry, this is just all too much right now. I didn't sleep too well last night." Clark muttered.

The man felt a firm hand on his shoulder and met Diana's soft smile as he turned to look at her. "Let's take a break, I can make some coffee for us. We can continue after you have calmed down."

Clark smiled gratefully. "Sounds great. Coffee sounds amazing right now." He chuckled and got up and followed Diana to the break room.

As they waited for the coffee to be ready, they talked about the museum and Clark's job. Diana said that she had been to Metropolis many times. She used to work for an association that got her opportunities to visit museums around the world.

"Wow that sounds really amazing!" Clark grinned while nursing his second mug of coffee. He finally had calmed down and gotten his mind out of the whole situation. "I bet you have visited a lot of amazing cities!"

"I do appreciate the experiences I got from my travels, but I do feel happier staying in one place." Diana smiled and sipped her coffee. Clark felt like there was something more to it, but thought it wasn't his place to ask more.

"I like it here. Gotham can be a bit intense, but if you find your place here, it can be great." Diana looked out of the window longingly. Suddenly she shook her head and smiled to Clark. "Sorry.." she chuckled and shook her head.

"Don't apologize." Clark smiled to Diana. He knew it was the best to change the subject. "So what do you think about the legend? I met Barry, the young man who was attacked by the werewolf and his story is too convincing to be fake. Plus he seems really genuine and nice."

The brunette looked at her and tilted her head. "Of course I believe it's true. I just don't know who it could be, but I do someone who might know who the werewolf is. Or something more about the whole situation."

Clark's eye widened at Diana's statement. "You do? Who is it?" he pulled out his notebook on instinct and clicked on his pen.

Diana smiled in amusement. She got up, leaving her coffee mug behind, and going to Wayne room. Clark obviously left his coffee behind and gathered his stuff before following her in hurry.

As they got to the room, Diana showed pictures of a balding man in a suit next to the Wayne's. "His name is Alfred Pennyworth. He used to be the butler for the Wayne's. He doesn't live in the mansion anymore, but he does visit there monthly. No one knows why, but no one has ever really dared to ask either."

Clark frowned and looked at Diana. "Why?"

"Well there has been a lot of speculations if Alfred murdered the Wayne's. But the theory doesn't make sense since Alfred loved the family, especially Bruce." Diana pointed to a picture with the butler and Bruce together. "That's why some citizens think that Alfred is hiding Bruce from the public, either because he killed his family or because the boy got too traumatized. The trauma part could be true, but over 30 years is a long time to hide someone."

The journalist winced at Diana's words. "How could a ten-year-old kill his parents? And you said they were clawed to death. That makes no sense."

Diana shrugged. "Old people like to make rumours and things must have snowballed from there. But yes, it's truly sad."

Clark looked at the young Bruce Wayne. He couldn't even imagine how he must look today. _How old was he now? Over 40_ , Clark counted quickly in his head since the boy was 10 when the murder happened.

The whole situation was starting to overwhelm Clark once again. His fatigue was getting to him even though he drank a mug of coffee.

"I think I should head to my motel room. I still need to write this all down. I bet there would be even more for me to know, but I can't handle more information right now." Clark sighed and walked out of the room with Diana.

"Understandable." Diana smiled and walked back to the front desk. "You can visit here any day you want. Except on the weekends, we're closed then. I'm happy to help."

Smile spread on Clark's lips and he nodded. "Sounds good to me. If I call to you when I have gotten all of this down and ready to learn more?"

"Works for me." Diana nodded and wrote down her number onto a post-it. They bid goodbye and Clark called a taxi for himself. It was getting late and he didn't want to walk back to the hotel in the dark.

He went outside to wait for his ride. The taxi came fastly so soon the tired journalist was on his way back to his motel room to try to get a good night of sleep. 

But Clark didn't notice a suspicious looking black car on the side of the road starting and following his taxi all the way back to his motel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really hope you liked the new chapter ;u; I was really nervous while writing it since it has been a while since I last wrote this fic.. So if there are grammar mistakes or small details that don't match with the first three chapters, please do tell!  
> But let's hope I will see you sooner than in four months! And Remember that comments are like kisses from Ben Affleck~ ❤ :3
> 
> [Here is a link for my tumblr~](http://antiheronea.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thanks for reading and see you in the next one!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> YES, I'm as surprised as you are. I actually updated super quickly. XD
> 
> (Let's hope I can keep this motivation up lmao)

To Clark's surprise, he was able to sleep full eight hours that night. He didn't even dream about the monster and the scared, young Bruce Wayne. Which he was still sure about, the boy had to be Bruce. It couldn't be anyone else, but who could the werewolf be?

After two-hour long research into the Wayne family and their enemies, there really wasn't anyone who could be the murderer. Well there were bunch of people who for sure wanted the Wayne's dead, but no one actually suited into the "werewolf" category. So Clark had turned off his laptop and went to sleep. It was better to start the next day with a fully rested mind.

Clark had also gotten down his notes to his laptop so he had decided to call Diana a bit after the museum had opened up. He wanted answers. Yesterday had just brought him more to think about so it was better to get down to business right away.

Diana had said she would have time for him after one. The clock was a bit after ten in the morning so he would have time to look into a thing that had left him the most bothered last night. And that thing.. or well, person was Alfred Pennyworth, the Wayne's butler.

There wasn't much about him after the murder. Just the articles about the investigation and people thinking that the butler was behind the murder. Which Clark still didn't believe in.

Before it had been too late last night, Clark had texted Diana and asked for Alfred's phone number. He also had asked where the museum guide had gotten the man's number. Diana just told him that Alfred had helped her with the Wayne room as she had wanted to find more pictures to fill up the walls. Alfred had gladly helped Diana so they had exchanged numbers. 

It was just a one more reason for Clark to believe that Alfred wasn't behind the murder. But he knew that he was hiding something. He didn't know what it was, but there had to be a good reason for Alfred's quiet life after the murder. So Clark was going to find it out himself.

The phone kept ringing as Clark was sitting on his bed with a note in his hands that had Alfred's phone number on it. After a while Clark gave up and hung up. He waited for a moment and tried again. Still no answer.

Clark got up and went to change his clothes for the meetup with Diana. As he got back to his bed, he tried calling Alfred again. This time the call was hung up. Not by Clark, but by Alfred. It made Clark frown. So the butler really didn't want to be contacted by anyone.

Clark tried to come up with a plan. He desperately needed to get in touch with Alfred. He was the key to this whole case. He would be able to answer so many questions that was on the journalist's mind and on everyone else's mind.

Then Clark got an idea.

From: Clark  
To: Alfred Pennyworth  
11.27am  
"Hello, my name is Clark Kent, a journalist from Metropolis. I'm writing about the legendary werewolf that is believed to resident in the late Wayne family's property. I do not mean any harm to you or the Wayne's memory. I just want to find some answers."

Clark hesitated for a moment about sending the text message, but there wasn't much else he could do at this point. So he sent the message and for a few minutes waited for an answer, but didn't get a response.

With a sigh, Clark got up from his chair and packed his laptop into his bag. He wanted to walk to the museum so that he could catch some fresh air. As he left his motel room, he was met by weather that was for once nice and crisp. He still wrapped his scarf closer around his neck, it was probably the worst time to catch a cold.

Clark's mind was cluttered with emotions and thoughts. _What if I'm not able to solve this case? I haven't had this many obstacles in a case before.._ , Clark sighed and buried his head deeper into the scarf gloomily.

Suddenly a black car with black windows slowed down next to him. It made Clark frown and get nervous, but soon the black window next to him moved down. Behind the window peeked out an over excited face of Lex Luthor.

"Clark, nice to see you again! You're still working on your article?" Lex laughed, but it sounded forced. Even the question made Clark confused since when they first met, Lex had seemed to freak out on the mention of the werewolf. _This guy is up to no good_ , Clark thought.

"Yes, it has turned out to be a tough one to crack open. But it just makes me work harder." Clark answered politely although the latter part was kind of a lie. Lex clearly calculated on the other man's answer before talking again.

"Wow you do sound determined!" Lex hummed. "I just think you are wasting your energy on this case. I have tried to find answers myself for years, but still no progress."

Clark was taken aback by Lex's comment. He had given him dozens of compliments when they had first met, but suddenly it felt like the multi-billionaire did not want Clark here. Especially investigating on the legend.

"Well luckily, I'm not let down easily." Clark stood up straighter and suddenly heard his phone beep for a text message. With a grin he continued, "I feel like with enough perseverance, I will be able to finish my article sooner than later."

Clark's confidence seemed to irritate Lex, so before he could give Clark any threats, he continued. "I need to get going, I have a meeting with someone. Have a good day, Lex." The brunet continued making his way to the museum before Lex could say anything. Clark changed his path from the side of road so that Lex wouldn't be able to stop him again.

As Clark had made sure that Lex wasn't following him, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and hoped for the text to be from Alfred. To Clark's luck it was, but it did not have the response that he was hoping for.

From: Alfred Pennyworth  
To: Clark  
12.19pm  
"Stay away and do not contact me anymore. It is better for you to leave this behind."

Yeah, not at all the response Clark was hoping for.

Clark sighed and pocketed his phone. Luckily he hadn't checked his phone in front of Lex to show off to him, because there wasn't anything to show off. Clark tried to stay positive, but it was getting harder and harder. Maybe it was time for him to give up. It wasn't like him to give up and Perry wouldn't be pleased at all, but there wasn't much he could do. Maybe try and do some more research, but it felt like a dead-end.

Powerlessly Clark opened the door to the museum and walked in. Again, it was all quiet in the building. "Diana should try to advertise this place, it's quieter than on a graveyard", Clark muttered to himself.

"Trust me, I've tried." Diana surprised Clark again as she walked from the break room that located behind the front desk. "People are more interested in the newer museum that locates in the city center. People have gotten lazy." Diana snorted, making Clark laugh. Sometimes it felt like Diana was a lot older than she truly was, because of the way she talked about things. But definitely not because how she looked or moved around.

"That is sadly very true." 

Diana hummed and walked up to him. "Yes. But are you ready to work again? You don't look so dead today."

Clark burst out into laughter. "Oh thanks a lot. But yes, I was able to sleep." But he thought for a moment if this research was all for nothing. Maybe he should just quit at this point and get back home to get a new case. Perry for sure had another file waiting for him.

"Come on, let's go. We don't have all day and I have a lot to tell you." Diana smiled to him encouragingly and headed towards the small room that contained all the information about the Wayne family.

_Okay, I'm not just going to quit. I'm a Kent and Kent's never quit_ , Clark shook of his doubts and followed Diana with new motivation.

After tiring four-hours and one-hour break, the clock was 6pm and the museum was closing. Clark's fingers were cramping from all the intense typing. It had been an easier solution for him to get all the information on his laptop since he had taken it with him this time. Luckily the long-haired woman was patient with Clark's questions and jumping from topic to another topic. He had gathered so much new information about the Wayne's and even on the mansion they have owned for ages and it all fueled his motivation.

Diana had luckily offered Clark a ride back to his motel even after all the help he had already gotten from her. Clark truly appreciate Diana's help, he wouldn't be this far with researching on his own.

"Thanks again for the history lesson and the ride. I would have been so lost without you." Clark smiled and got a smile back from Diana.

"It's my pleasure to help. And kind of my job." They chuckled together.

"Well like I promised, I will text you as I progress on this case." Clark smiled and moved his hand to open the car door. He almost got to say good night, but Diana stopped him from leaving.

"I'm not sure if you noticed, but yesterday and today a black car followed you back here from the museum." Diana's look was serious.

In shock, Clark was trying to look around for the car, but Diana shook her head. "Don't draw attention to yourself. It will be bad if they realise you have found out."

Clark swallowed nervously and nodded. "What should I do?"

"Just go to your room and don't act suspicious. You will be fine, they won't do anything to you." Diana gave the younger man a reassuring smile. Clark felt a bit better by Diana's words, but still was tense about the car that has been following him.

They bid good-bye after Diana promising to find out who owned the car. Clark felt more at ease to know that someone was looking after him, but it still creeped him out that someone was following him. Who could it be? Is someone mad at me for working on this case?, Clark thought and immediately it struck to him. It had to be Lex. He had been so insistent on Clark leaving and he was also riding a similar black car earlier that day. Clark texted his suspect to Diana before getting ready to bed. She texted Clark back that she would still make sure it was him. 

It didn't calm down Clark's nervousness that Lex was possibly behind this. It just made him more anxious. The man was multi-billionare. He could hire a hitman to kill Clark with just a snap of his fingers and no one would find out what happened to him. The thought made Clark shudder and pull his blanket closer to his body.

"Well at least Diana would know.." Clark muttered into the dark room before letting himself fall into a restless sleep.

He was back at the mansion, but this time he was outside. Clark was facing the wide, spacious yard in front of the mansion and the deep, thick forest was surrounding the mansion. It was almost like a fence trying stop anyone leaving the area.

Clark scanned the area for someone, but it was empty. He walked down the stairs and tried to find someone. Suddenly he noticed the same young boy from his earlier dreams at the edge of the forest.

With sudden worry, Clark called to the boy as he walked closer. "Bruce? Is your name Bruce Wayne?" 

Bruce turned around and looked at him with worried eyes. "It wants me to join him. But Alfred forbid me going into the forest."

As Clark was next to Bruce, he wasn't able to hear anything from the forest. All he heard was their breaths and his fastly beating heart.

"Well, you should listen to Alfred. He cares a lot about you." Bruce pouted at Clark, but he seemed to listen to Clark. It made his heart swell.

"Yeah I know.. I'm just so bored here all alone." The boy sighed and leaned his head on Clark arm. The older man looked at the child in surprise. Slowly Clark raised his hand to touch Bruce's black hair. Maybe this was the way he could find answers.

"Why is he hiding you, Bruce? Who murdered your parents?" Clark asked gently as possible, but Bruce immediately tensed.

Bruce pulled away immediately with tears in his eyes. "It wasn't my fault! I tried to stay away, but it lured me into the forest!" Bruce started to cry and was ready to bolt, but Clark kneeled down and pulled him into a hug.

"No, I'm not blaming you. I know you are innocent." Clark felt the child trembling against his body, so he held him tighter. "I'm trying to save you. I just don't know how."

Clark was surprised by his own words. Well, he kind of was trying to save Bruce, but he didn't know if the man was even still alive. Maybe this was a sign that he was.

Bruce was starting to calm down, so Clark stood up and took hold of his smaller hand. "Come on, it's getting dark." In response, Clark got a small nod and a smile, so they headed towards the mansion.

As they were by the door, Bruce suddenly stopped walking. Clark turned to ask what was wrong, but then he heard it. The werewolf. It was standing at the edge of the forest, looking straightly at them.

"Come on, let's get inside." Clark swallowed and tried to pull Bruce with him, but the boy wasn't moving. He was staring at the monster, but he didn't seem scared like he had been in Clark's earlier nightmares.

"Bruce, we really should go inside. It is safer there." The older man desperately tried to pull Bruce inside, but some how he was able to pull away his hand from Clark's grip. And just like that, Bruce started calmly walking towards the beast.

"BRUCE! Please, come back!" Clark yelled after him and tried to move, but his legs didn't let him go after the young boy. Desperately and with all of his might, he tried to run after Bruce and stop him from walking towards a certain death, but he simply could not move. Clark kept yelling Bruce's name and begging him to come back, but the boy didn't hear him.

Clark didn't know if he was relieved or even more scared for Bruce as he reached the werewolf and it did not hurt him, but led him into the dark forest. As Bruce was out of sight, the journalist's legs moved again. He ran towards the forest as fast he could, yelling for Bruce to come back to him. But before he could reach the forest and save the boy, Clark came back to reality in cold sweat as Bruce's pained scream woke him up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I should stop being such an asshole to Clark. :| But things will get better.. after they have gotten worse..... XD  
> But I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! And comments are still like kisses from Ben Affleck AND Henry Cavill~ ❤
> 
> [Here is a link for my tumblr~](http://antiheronea.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thanks for reading and see you in the next one! ❤


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I. AM. SO. SORRY.  
> Jeez what a shitty writer I am... last time I was around I said "lets hope it wont be another 4 months for me to write the next chapter" well... it has been what? nine months? ...oops...  
> Life got in the way and I got into a university this September so there has been a lot of new stuff so I didn't really get into writing until now! BLESS to the Justice League movie for giving me motivation!  
> So here I am apologizing with a new chapter to this fic. Sadly, it's just a filler and not as long as usually, but I thought I should let you guys know I'm not dead and neither is this fic. Trust me, this fic has been on my mind during the nine months that I was gone. But the happy news are that I'm already working on the next chapter so I might post it in a week or two depending on how my motivation keeps on going.  
> But THANK YOU for the bottom of my heart to the ones who have posted comments on the earlier chapters. I was reading through them last night and it gave me a boost of confidence and motivation and they reminded me of my wonderful readers so this is for you guys. <3  
> Thank you already for reading this new chapter and possibly commenting. Y'all are the best. <3

After waking up, Clark was very out of it. His nightmare was swirling around in his head, especially the shrilling scream of Bruce. This all was getting too much to Clark, maybe this was way out of his league? He had never in his journalist career felt so involved in his work. And it weirded Clark out, feeling like he was part of the myth. How could he be? He had no connections to Gotham City nor to the deceased Wayne family. Nor did he want to think about Lex Luthor possibly being after his ass.

“This is... Ugh, I don’t even know what this is anymore...” Clark muttered to himself as he was fiddling his notes and trying to get some progress. His notebook was already getting to its end and Clark was nowhere near getting to the truth.

Before Clark started to get too frustrated with his thoughts, his thoughts were interrupted by a ring from his phone.

“Hey mom… How is it going back there at home?” asked Clark from his mother, trying not to sound too defeated.

“Oh hun, what is it?” Martha immediately could pick up Clark’s true feelings and thoughts, she had raised Clark after all.

“It’s nothing, mom. This is just a lot to handle… There is so much more to it than I thought, I’ve never had a myth like this in front of me. So much blood and sorrow…” the journalist sighed, “and the terrible mattress isn’t helping.”

Martha huffed in annoyance, “I’m going to call that dingdong boss of yours and I will put him in his place! He is making you work way too much! When was the last time you had a vacation?”

Clark couldn’t help but smile to his mother’s protectiveness. It made him feel better, though his mother shouldn’t worry so much of him. He was a grown man after all.

“Mom, calm down. It’s not Perry’s fault, he couldn’t know that this case would be a lot to handle. That’s why I am here, to unravel it.” Before Martha could object, Clark continued. “I know you’re worried, but I can do this, mom. I just need to not get so involved in this… and try to sleep better.”

Martha sighed, “Clark, I know you can do this. I’m not saying you can’t, because you are the smartest young man I know. I am just worried. You have been working non-stop for almost a year now… I miss my boy.”

That made Clark’s heart squeeze in sadness and guilt. It was true, he hadn’t visited his mother at their farm in nine months. It had always popped up in his mind that he needs to ask for even a weekend off, but something had always come up to stop him from visiting his mom and his home. And it made Clark feel so guilty. Even Lois said that he needs to take time off, for his own sake and his mother’s. She lived alone after all.

“I know, mom… And I’m sorry.” Clark rubbed his face, trying not to get too emotional. “After this case, I promise I will come down to Smallville. Perry liked it or not.”

“Oh hun, don’t feel too guilty about this. I know you’re busy with your job and life in Metropolis. I just miss my baby boy, that’s all.” Clark could feel the warmness of his mother’s smile through the phone and it made him feel a bit better. Guilt was still scratching his heart, but right now there was nothing he could do about it.

“Yeah… But it’s a promise. I’m coming over after this case is done. I miss your cooking.” Clark tried to lighten the air a bit and it worked.

“You silly boy… I bet you have become a twig, because of your bad cooking skills and Lois not always being there to cook for you!” Martha chuckled before Clark protested loudly.

“Lois has taught me, I’m not so helpless anymore! I will prove it when I come over!” Clark defended himself and Martha just laughed. It felt so good for the journalist to hear his mother laugh, it lifted his spirit and he already felt much better than before the call.

They talked for a while about things happening in Smallville and Clark told a bit about the myth and what he was working on. After the call ended, Clark was feeling much better and that he could do this. That he could solve this myth and get back to Metropolis to finish his article before taking a vacation back home. It felt distant for the journalist, but he could manage. Although his involvement into this myth scared him, but the thought of young Bruce Wayne made him want to work harder to find out the truth.

His thoughts were once again interrupted by a text message. It was from Diana.

From: Diana Prince  
To: Clark  
4.51 pm  
**“Hey Clark. Just wanted to let you know that Alfred is in town, he visited at the museum. He is probably visiting the mansion right now, but he never stays there for the night. If I were you, I would hurry. -Diana” ******

Diana’s message lighted a fire under Clark’s ass. This was his chance to get truthful information from someone who was actually somehow involved in the myth. The young man replied a quick thanks to Diana before scrambling around his hotel room to gather stuff he needed. Before leaving his room, he called a taxi to take him to the Wayne mansion, or as close as he could get. 

As he suspected, the taxi driver didn’t want to enter the property which the late Wayne family owned (well, still did own), so Clark would have to walk to the mansion by himself. The old driver was nervously looking towards the forest as Clark was paying, he clearly did not want to be anywhere near the forest or the mansion. Before Clark could say thanks and bid goodbyes to the taxi driver, the scared driver pulled the car door shut and sped away.

“Wow… he truly was scared…” Clark thought out loud as he looked after the taxi.

After the car was enough far away for him not to see even the lights of the car, Clark realized how dead silent it was. No birds. No wind. Just dead silence. It made Clark feel a bit hesitant and a shiver ran through his body, but for crying out loud, he was a grown ass man. It was just a forest… with a possible werewolf living somewhere in the depths of it. That thought made Clark gulp in slight panic, because if the werewolf was nothing like in his nightmares… It would not be a good idea for Clark to be walking alone.

The young journalist gathered up his nerves after a moment of contemplating and took a step closer to the forest and the path that would take him to the mansion. _Okay, I’m not dead yet_ , thought Clark and continued his way a long the path, towards the mansion. _I just wonder how long the path to the mansion is… I hope I will make it before Alfred leaves._

What he didn’t notice or think of was a black expensive car following him quietly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAHH here it is, after a long wait. I hope this wasn't a disappointment, but we are getting closer to the juicy stuff, that I can promise! I still hope you enjoyed this short filler chapter, I'm so happy to be back to working on this fic and I cannot wait for y'all to find out what happens next!
> 
> [If you wanna chat or something, here is a link to my tumblr~ I'd love to chat with y'all!](http://antiheronea.tumblr.com/)
> 
> Thanks for reading and see you in the next one! ❤ (which won't be in four or nice months, I promise that too. xd)


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAYY it's been two weeks and here I am with a new chapter, yay me!  
> Let's hope I can keep this up so that y'all don't have to keep waiting so much like before! xd  
> But thank you so, so much for all the nice comments and all the kudos, they warm my heart and make me want to keep this fic alive even more ❤  
> I'm gonna stop rambling and let you guys read the chapter, hope y'all will enjoy it! See you guys again as soon as possible! ❤  
> (p.s. i havent had time to proof read this so sorry if there are any mistakes!)

Clark kept walking what felt like forever, it was getting darker and darker every minute that he kept walking. Though he didn’t know if it was because of the time or because he was walking deeper and deeper into the forest. He started to barely see the path, so he had to take out his flashlight from his backpack just to make sure he would not trip over something on the path. The bright light hurt his eyes for a moment, but quickly his eyes got used to the brightness in the darkness.

After walking for ages, Clark could finally see the path ending and the end of the path, there was an open field and in the middle of the field was a huge mansion. The Wayne mansion. 

The young man unconsciously hurried with his pace. The closer he got the edge of the forest, the better he could see the mansion, which was exactly like from his nightmares. Clark could not believe his eyes, the mansion was exactly the same, every detail was the same. He continued his hurried pace even as he got the field surrounding the mansion, he needed to get to the mansion quickly. He just felt this pull towards the mansion, or maybe someone inside it.

Though Clark stopped right in front of the huge doors. He could not just barge in, he does have some manners although no one lived there. So, Clark knocked on the door few times and waited for a response. But there was none, so he knocked a bit longer and louder. But still no response.

Clark sighed and figured that Alfred had already left. _Just my luck_ , thought Clark in disappointment. He stood in front of the door for a moment thinking what to do next. Should he just forget his manners and go in or wait for Alfred to show up? But when would the old man come back? That Clark did not know, so he tried to open the huge doors and to his surprise the doors opened with a loud creak. Obviously, they would make a loud sound since they were barely used, Clark groaned as the thought that the whole Gotham City probably heard that he is at the mansion, that is how loud the creaking was.

As the doors were open, Clark peeked in. As he suspected and well hoped, there was no angry Alfred charging at him with insults. It was dead silent inside and also dirty, but to Clark’s surprise the mansion wasn’t totally covered in dust. It looked like someone lived there, though the resident did not bother to clean, like ever.

The young man stepped in and looked around more. The surroundings were exactly like in his nightmares even inside the mansion. It creeped him out, but also gave him somewhat comfort that he knew exactly where to go and find answers so that he could leave as soon as possible. So, Clark headed towards the wide stairs that would take him to the bedrooms of the Wayne’s. There he would most likely find answers.

Though Clark did not notice nor heard an old car arriving to the yard of the mansion.

Clark made his way through the halls, knowing exactly were to go. Though his way was slowed down by him looking at the walls which were filled with scratches that looked like a cause of large claws. Clark swallowed nervously, but continued his way to Bruce’s bedroom. As he was in front of the room, he nervously touched the door. “I do not yet know what lies behind this door, but Bruce I will find the truth. That I will promise to you.” Clark muttered quietly before opening the door. 

To his surprise, the room was empty from furniture though there was something lying on the floor. Clark stepped closer and gasped as he realized what was on the floor. Shackles. Very heavy looking shackles and a muzzle that was torn to pieces. And what looked like a family photo of the Wayne’s torn into pieces. Clark gulped in panic and fear and dropped his flashlight from his hand and it rolled to the corner of the room. As he was about to bolt out of the room, his escape was stopped by an old man standing at the door. Alfred Pennyworth, the butler of the deceased Wayne’s.

“And who the hell who do think you are to have the rights to enter this private property?” the very angry British butler raised his voice. Oh shit, Clark cursed in his mind. If he ever had any chances with interviewing Alfred, those chances had just flown out of the old, dusty window.

“I-I’m very sorry, Mr. Pennyworth. M-My name is Clark…” the embarrassed journalist started, but that seemed to anger Alfred even more.

“You are fool of a journalist bothering me!” Alfred stepped closer in full anger. “What did I tell you? I told you to stay away!”

“Y-Yes, sir, I’m very aware of your message to me…” Clark tried to reason to the older man, but he was not having any of it.

“So, what are you doing here?” Alfred was very angry, but there was something else lying under his words. Worry? “I’m going to call the police right this moment, if you do not leave this property immediately.”

Although the both knew that the police were not going to step anywhere near the mansion or the forest, Clark wasn’t going to take the chance. Nor did he want to disrespect Alfred and the Wayne family any more than he already had. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have invited myself in. I-I was trying to help…”

“We do not need your help, son. Just leave.” Alfred growled and pointed towards the door. “Leave and never even think about coming back, or even looking towards this property.”

Clark frowned in confusion. _We?_ He didn’t have the nerve to ask or say anything more, so he bowed down his head in defeat and embarrassment and left the room with fast steps. Though before he got to the end of the hallway, Alfred shouted after him.

“And tell your friends to stop following me! Your fancy black cars don’t impress me.”

Clark stopped for a moment and looked towards the old man, who disappeared into some of the many rooms, with a frown. _Fancy black car?_ That made Clark swallowed nervously. It had to be the same car that had been following him around. Possibly Lex Luthor or most likely someone who worked for him. If his stalker was even Lex Luthor.

Clark found his way out of the mansion and as he got outside, it was already very dark, way too dark for him to go into the forest and try to find his way out. Although the path was pretty straight, the path was filled with pits that he could trip to and possibly hit his head to a rock. He did not want to take risk of getting injured, so he looked for his flashlight. As he was checking his pockets and backpack, he remembered dropping the flashlight as he was in shock from the shackles and the broken muzzle. Clark cursed and looked towards the pitch-black forest. There was no way he could make it to the other side of the forest without minor injuries without his flashlight. 

Clark could feel the pressure of needing to leave so he made his way towards the edge of the forest, but he knew he could not make it through the path without his flashlight. As he was at the edge of the forest, he remembered Diana’s text message. **“He is probably visiting the mansion right now, but he never stays there for the night.”**

Clark stopped and looked towards the mansion. What if he stayed hiding in the woods until Alfred left and he would sneak back to the mansion as the old butler would for sure away? He knew that it was very disrespectful and against his ethics, but he couldn’t make it back to the Gotham City without injuring himself and that mysterious black car might be out there somewhere waiting for him. Also, he felt that Alfred was hiding something in that mansion and the journalist side of him wanted to find out the truth and secrets the Brit was hiding.

So, Clark stayed hiding in the darkness of the forest, waiting for Alfred to leave the property. To his unfortunate luck, it started to pour, and Clark was already freezing as he tried to stay low. “Come on, leave already.” Clark muttered under his breath as he huddled against a tree that gave him some coverage from the rain and the icy wind. His toes were freezing as he had stepped into multiple puddles and his hands started to go all numb. Walking along the dark path towards Gotham started to sound like a better plan than sitting there and waiting for Alfred to leave. But at that moment, Clark could here an engine starting. _Finally_ , Clark sighed in relief.

The young journalist waited patiently for the butler to leave the property before making his way back to the mansion. Thank god, the doors to the mansion were still open, and he could go inside. Sadly, it wasn’t much warmer inside, but at least he was out of the icy wind and rain.

Clark shrugged off his backpack and jacket and he hung them to dry down before heading upstairs to find his flashlight that he had dropped earlier. It was a bit hard to see in the dark hallways, but he managed to get to the bedroom he had been to earlier as the moon outside shined its dim light inside the mansion. 

He picked up his flashlight from the corner of the room and turned it on. The shackles and muzzle were gone. Alfred had probably taken them away since they weren’t any use anymore, because they for sure had been used on something… or someone and that something or someone had broken them. Which should be impossible, but if it was the werewolf who had been or still was locked away, that beast could for sure break away from those heavy shackles.

That made Clark think. Was Alfred’s big secret that he was hiding the werewolf? But why would he do that? To protect the citizens of Gotham? Or the werewolf itself? These thoughts confused Clark a lot, because the werewolf was feared by the citizens of Gotham and in his nightmares the creature looked demonic, but it had done nothing bad expect hurting Barry slightly. But even then, the werewolf could have easily killed Barry, but like Victor had said, it had felt like the werewolf was just trying to get rid of them by chasing them away.

Clark flinched from his thoughts as a thunder boomed outside. This myth quickly felt even more complex than it already had been, because the brunet slowly started to think that maybe the werewolf wasn’t as demonic as it was described as.

The young man suddenly felt incredibly tired and realized that his head was aching from thinking so much. So, he pointed his flashlight towards the door and went to look around if there possibly was a place where he could take a small nap, even a wooden bench sounded nicer than standing around waiting for the sun to rise.

For few minutes he looked around until he found what looked like master bedroom, where someone had for sure slept. He stepped in carefully and looked around for any signs of someone being there, but there was no one. Clark walked in and sat on the edge of the bed tiredly. He grumbled in fatigue and just as he was about to slump down, he noticed a notebook on the night stand, a very dirty notebook. He picked it up carefully and to his shock the cover said, “Bruce Wayne”. Clark’s eyes grew to the size of a plate and he quickly opened the first page of the notebook. 

The date of the first page went all the way back to 1981, the year when the Wayne family had died, and Bruce had gone missing, but it was a month or so later than the horrible events had took place. The text on the page was clearly written by a young boy, the letters were all awkwardly big and stick-like. Clark’s heart clenched as he started to read the first entry of the diary.

**“I don’t want to be here anymore. It is stupid and boring and Alfred doesn’t let me leave. He doesn’t even let me go outside to play alone.**

**I miss mom and dad. Alfred said they are looking down on me from heaven but I would rather have them here. I feel alone without them.**

**There is a monster outside. I can hear it calling my name somewhere. I’m afraid to tell Alfred because he would not believe me. He said monsters are not real although a monster killed my parents.**

**I want to punch the stupid monster for killing my parents. I am planning to escape and find the monster and teach it a lesson.**

**I am not afraid of it.**

**\- Bruce Wayne”**

Clark had to wipe tears away from the corner of his eye. The poor boy had been locked away for god knows how long by Alfred. Alfred had kept him safe although Bruce had felt captive, but he was alive. Bruce had to be still alive somewhere, but where?

Just then Clark heard a deafening roar from outside. It had to be the werewolf.

Something inside Clark got him up to his feet from the bed and running towards the source of the thunderous roar without picking his jacket and backpack. It was a very stupid idea, but he wasn’t thinking. Clark just ran across the slippery field towards the pitch-black forest. The brunet heard grumbling and growling noises from somewhere deep in the woods, so he blindly followed the bone chilling sounds.

On the edge of the forest, the journalist started to hesitate. What was I thinking? Facing the werewolf without anything to protect myself with? Clark groaned at his own stupidity, but he was already so close. And his mind and heart tried to pull him closer to the truth, he didn’t know why though. It was probably just the passionate journalist side of him; the excuse he always reasoned himself with. 

So, Clark took a step to enter the dense, gloomy forest. A step closer to the beast that was lurking in the shadows, watching closely Clark’s every step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoopy times are among us~ Hope you liked this chapter, shit will start to go down soon so get ready guys! 8)
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> [If you wanna chat or something, here is a link to my tumblr~ I'd love to chat with y'all!](http://antiheronea.tumblr.com/)
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> Thanks for reading and see you in the next one! ❤


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